Unforgettable
by flying piggie
Summary: Ok, uhh.....well, just R&R, can't think of a good summary, its 11:50 PM!!! anyhoo, i hope ya like it! ^_^;;
1. Lost Memories

Okay, this is my first Outlaw Star fic (duh) I really hope you like it. Please please tell me if it's good, it's the first part, if I get at good reviews, then I'll finish it. Please please please R&R!! Thanx, hope ya enjoy.

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Gene sat quietly in the Outlaw Star, thinking to himself. A chill ran down his spine. He looked around instinctively to make sure nothing was wrong. Everything appeared to be normal, he turned back around and looked at space. 'Must be my imagination. I'm too paranoid nowadays.' Gene thought, 'I need to relax.' He stared into space for a long time. It was so big, most people would call it beautiful, but to Gene, it was anything but that. Death lingered in space, looking for its next victim. It took away both Hilda and his father, and someday it would steal his life away too. 

Gene looked back at his crew, Jim was sleeping, but not quietly. He wanted to stick a sock in his mouth. Melfina was working quietly on the ship, there were a few repairs that needed to be done from the last battle and she needed to figure out where the ship needed it. Sazuka was quietly meditating, Gene didn't dare interrupt her, after all, she was the one trying to kill him before. Finally, Aisha was playing a video game, making more noise than seemingly possible, every once in a while he heard the Game saying, "I love you, I want you, I need you," then responding, "LIAR!!" but Gene blocked it all out. He closed his eyes and rested a bit. He was so comfortable in the Outlaw Star. He fell fast asleep….

*****

"Father!!" Gene yelled as his father shoved him into an escape pod. But it was too late, his father couldn't hear him anymore. Even if he could, it wouldn't make any difference. He had made up his mind, and Gene knew that nothing could change it. His father was such a stubborn man, 'There was enough space in the pod to fit both of us! Why did he leave me? Why didn't he come with me? He left me all alone.' Gene thought as he watched his father's ship being destroyed as he drifted further and further into space. Tears emerged from Gene's eyes as he banged on the window, "Don't leave me father!!" he yelled, "Don't leave me all alone! Come back father!!" He fell to his knees and cried, trying to convince himself that it was all just a nightmare, a horrible nightmare and he'd soon wake up. Then somebody gripped his shoulder and was shaking him furiously….

*****

Gene awoke in a heavy sweat, Jim was shaking him by the shoulder frantically. "Wake up Gene! Time to rise and shine Sleeping Beauty!" Jim yelled at him.

"Huh? What's the fuss all about?" Gene asked, bewildered. He looked around and saw that Melfina was back in her little water chamber.Then there was a jolt and the whole ship shook.

"Gene, we're under attack!" Jim yelled at him. "You know, you're a really deep sleeper." 

"We're under attack? By who?" 

Gilliam interjected, "By a group of pirates notorious for their strength. It is said that nobody has survived a fight with them."

"Oh great, just our luck. Well, we'll just have to prove to them that they aren't the strongest." Gene yelled.

"Gene, there is damage to the right engine and one of out grappler arms are down." Melfina stated.

"Shit!"

"It doesn't look good, Gene."

"Crap, what about the left engine, Melfina? How does that look?"

"Its still showing green. They haven't gotten to it yet."

Suddenly a beam came out of the enemy's ship and started melting away the exterior. "What the hell is that?" Gene asked frantically, but he got no answer. Everybody was too occupied.

"What are we gunna do, Gene?" Jim asked, "If they keep this up, we'll be toast!"

"Don't worry, we'll get out of this, there is no way we will die, I promise." Gene said as he gave him a reassuring smile. Then he yelled out, "Fire the laser beam!" (ok, sorry, couldn't think of another name, tee hee, anyway, on with the story!)

"It's stuck," Melfina replied, "there is a piece of metal shoved in it, the energy inside it is building. I have completely lost control over it, if the energy keeps building like this, the ship will explode!"

"What?? A Ctarl-Ctarl will never die just because of a stupid piece of metal!" Aisha said as she stood up and bolted for the door. Gene stood in her way.

"Your not going anywhere Missy. Your staying right here."

"But I'm not going to let myself die like this! Not now! Not here!"

"Who said anything about dying? Don't worry, like I told Jim, weren't not going to die, and I plan to keep that promise."

"What? How??"

"This is no time to be the hero, Gene." Jim said frantically, "It's way too dangerous."

Gene started to change into a space suit, then he turned to Jim and put his hands on his shoulder. He got eye level with him and said, "Don't worry, everything is going to be all right." With that, he made his way out of the ship, into the battlefield.

Gene looked around, trying to spot the damage. Space was so quiet, except for the fainted sounds of weapons firing. He had to keep aware of what he was doing, now wasn't the time for his space phobia to kick in. Gene at last found the metal. Luckily the enemy was now on the other side of the ship and posed little danger to him, but he still had to act fast. He tried to pull it out, but it was jammed tight. There was a blast near by that shook him up and debris started to lunge toward him. He managed to block most of it, but one big scrap of metal that he didn't see dashed toward him. It hit him head on, causing him to loose consciousness. His body floated aimlessly in space….

*****

Gene found himself floating in a blank world, only surrounded by blurry memories. 'Who… who am I?' he asked himself. He looked around but found no answers. He rubbed his head, 'Where the heck am I? What happened to me?' Then familiar images flashed through Gene's mind. Once again Gene saw his father's last day in space.

"No Father!" Gene yelled. As his father pulled him toward the escape pod. "I won't go without you!."

"I'm sorry, Gene, but this is your only hope. I've lived my life, and I want to make sure you can live yours." With that, he shoved Gene in, closed the door and watched him leave for space and safety. 'Good bye Gene, at least this way you can live out a full life,' his father thought. The ship blew up, taking him for the ride. Gene saw this through the pod. He yelled out while the pod propelled him forward. The memory stopped. 

'Is my name Gene? Was that me? Was that my father?'

*****

"Where the heck is Gene? I'm getting worried, he's been out for a long time." Jim asked as he looked out the window. Tension was starting to build up in the Outlaw Star. They all knew Gene had been out too long and something probably went wrong. "That's it, I can't take it anymore. I'm going out there and getting Gene back."

"No, Jim," Melfina protested. "Its too dangerous."

"But we killed the enemy, miraculously, so it should be okay. He must have done something out there since we didn't blow up from the overload. I can't just sit back while my best friend, almost my brother, might be dying out there!"

Aisha interjected, "You can't go out there, your too weak, this looks like a job for a Ctarl-Ctarl. I'm going to save Gene." There were no interjections to that. They knew not to cross Aisha and her temper, the only one foolish enough to was Gene. Plus, she was right, she was the strongest one out of them all and probably had the best chance of getting him back.

Aisha got the space suit on and made her way into space. She hadn't realized how much of a wreck the Outlaw Star was. Though, amidst all the debris, she spotted a lifeless body floating through space. She headed in that direction to make sure it was Gene.

Inside the ship, the crew waited patiently for some news from Aisha. At this point, all they could do was pray. They were fortunate enough to be able to see everything that was going on through a camera on Aisha's space suit helmet.

Aisha found the body, and sure enough, it was Gene's. She carried his body back to the ship on her shoulders.

*****

Another memory pierced through Gene's mind.

Two men were negotiating some prices for something while a little boy tugged on the pant leg of one of the men. The boy had shiny red hair and beautiful blue eyes. He only came to about the waist of the man because he was only seven years old, plus the man was pretty tall. The little boy kept repeating, "Daddy, daddy, daddy…" trying to get his father's attention.

The little boy was annoying him and finally his dad yelled back at him, "Stop it, Gene, can't you see I'm discussing some important business? Go play in your room."

Tears filled little Gene's heartbroken eyes, "But I just wanted to show you the picture I made for you." He held up a piece of paper with macaronis glued to it. He threw it on the ground, jetted to his room, and slammed the door. Pieces of macaroni spewed everywhere.

His father called after him, "Gene!" then mumbled to his client, "I'm sorry, you know how kids are."

Gene sat quietly in his room, 'What can be more important than me? Some old guy that probably doesn't have as many cool toys as me? I don't think so.' Then he decided to listen to their conversation. He put his ear to the door, and was very quiet. He could faintly make out what they were saying.

"I told you, it's too dangerous," his father said.

"But I'm giving you 50,000 wong!" the other man responded. Gene had never seen or heard this man before.

"But I have a family, I don't want my son to one day ask his mother, 'Where's daddy?' and his mother tell him how daddy will never be coming home. We're dealing with pirates here, the ---- pirates at that. Death is almost a sure thing!"

Gene peeped through the crack in his door. He had never seen of heard his father like this before.

"But we are also talking about the Galactic Leyline. Some things are worth the risk. How 'bout this, I'll give you the 50,000 wong I promised as a sure fee, then if we get to the Galactic Leyline, I'll give you 100,000 wong extra."

"Well, that is quite a bit of money… Okay, I'll do it, " and with that, the two men shook hands. "I'll meet you at the port in 32 hours." The man agreed, and left.

"Gene's father moved out of Gene's view. Gene pressed his ear against the door once more to try to hear what he was doing. Next thing he knew, the door was being pulled from under him causing Gene to topple to the ground. He smiled and chuckled nervously. His father picked him up and sat him on his lap. "I'm sorry about earlier, Gene, but you have to be more patient. That man and I were discussing some important business. Don't interrupt people when they are talking unless it is something important. You understand?" Gene nodded his head, his father continued, "Another thing, I'm going to be leaving for a while, I'll be back soon so don't worry. I want you to tell your mother, though."

"But mommy is still in the hospital. She's still very sick. You should tell her."

"I know, but this is important. Plus, if I tell her, I'm afraid I'll worry her, she'll understand if u tell her. Its not like you can catch the disease, it's not contagious. You can even spend the night there, I'll call the hospital and tell them I will be gone for a little and I'm sure they'd be glad to keep you with them." He smiled and lifted him off his lap. "Why don't you go tell her now."

"Okay papa," he said as he bolted out the door. He was excited that he would be able to see his mother again, he had only seen her once since she got in the hospital. He ran passed many people and finally arrived to his destination. He found his mother's room and stepped in. She looked so different. So much skinnier and when she saw Gene, she didn't even have the strength to lift her head up to greet him. Her eyes became glassy and a tear ran down her cheek when she saw Gene walk through the door. He sat next to her and told her the news. She was very understanding, that what Gene loved about her. Gene spent the next few nights there, obeying his father. On the third night, Gene laid in bed with his mother, his head on her shoulder as he tried to fall asleep. 

"Gene," she said in a gentle voice, "I love you so much. I never want you to be alone, okay? Make as many friends as you can, but make sure you don't feel lonely. And always stay your happy, sweet self, tears just don't fit your personality."

This confused little Gene, "But mommy, I'm not crying. And I'll never be lonely with you and papa." He could hear his mother cry softly a little, but she soon stopped.

"Good night, Gene… and good bye." There was an awkward silence that filled the room. Gene wondered what she meant, he wasn't going anywhere, and he was pretty sure she wasn't either, especially in her condition. But Gene was too tired to ask what she meant, and he fell fast asleep.

The next morning Gene awoke by the sun in the room. He noticed that his mother's touch wasn't as warm as usual. "Are you cold mommy?" he asked, but he got no respond. Figuring she was sleeping, he shook her a little. "Wake up mommy, time to rise and shine," he said silently, yet she still didn't respond. She looked so pale, he shook her harder, since there was still no response, he started to yell, "Mommy, wake up!" Now he was getting worried, he went and got a nurse, and a few other workers followed them in. The nurse held up her wrist, Gene had no clue what she was doing. She shook her head and looked at Gene sympathetically. He noticed the others put a white sheet over his mother's body.

The nurse approached Gene, "I'm sorry sweety."

"What's the matter? What are you doing with my mommy, where is she going? When will she be back?" Gene asked curiously.

She looked at him even more tenderly and added, "She won't be coming back. She's…. dead. She left and will be beginning a new journey now." Gene's eyes bulged and filled with tears as he realized the shocking truth. His head began to spin, he needed to get out, he needed time to think. How can his mother be dead? He realized what his mother meant last night, Gene began sobbing and bolted out of the hospital. He didn't stop running until he got home. Then he realized he broke his promise to his mom. She told him not to cry or be lonely, now he was disobeying both things. His father was gone, and even though he'd be coming back soon, Gene's heart ached with loneliness, he yearned to have somebody to talk to, somebody to share his feelings with. He couldn't help but to cry, he fell to his knees and just let it all out.

*****

The crew of the Outlaw Star watched anxiously as Jim checked for Gene's pulse. He smiled and the rest gave out a big sigh of relief. "He's alive, but unconscious," Jim said. They all got gloomy again.

Suddenly Aisha brightened up and said triumphantly, "I know!! All you have to do is have Mel stick him in that water tank thing of yours! I heard Jim talking about how she's done that to before and healed him."

Everybody else's face brightened up a bit too, "I'll try," Melfina said as she took Gene with her.

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ok, so how did u like it? This is basically about Gene's past, I'm gunna write more if ya like it, so PLEASE R&R!! thanx, ^_^;; hope ya enjoyed it.


	2. The Journey to Space

Ok, this is the 2nd chapter, PLEASE R&R! thanx, okie dokie, here we go. I hope it doesn't really suck. Its pretty late, lol, ok so that's always my excuse, but really, it is, its 11:30, I always seem to write my stories at late times. Ok ok, I'm sure u don't want to hear my belly aching, so here ya are. Oh ya, and thanx for all those reviews for chapter one. ^_^ I feel so special. Ooo, and thanx Felicia, for some of those ideas (by the way, her name is Misty Wildflower so u can read her stories too.) ^_^ 

"Please wake up, Gene," Melfina beckoned. Only a few hours ago Gene was knocked unconscious by a flying piece of wreckage that collided into his head. Melfina tried hard to heal him in her water chamber but she know what she really needed was nothing short of a miracle. "We need you. Please… I don't know what we'd… no, what I'd do without you." Melfina said as she held onto him, afraid she would loose him. She held him tight and hugged him, she prayed for his safety. A strange feeling overcame her, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was. It was a feeling like no other, she had never felt it before, but she liked it. It made her feel so warm and even gave her goosebumps. She closed her eyes and let it seep through her body. She smiled and pressed Gene's body closer to hers, hugging him a little tighter. She never wanted to let go…..

*******

The week after Gene's mother's death felt like an eternity. Every minute felt like an hour, he felt guilty that he was all alone, especially after his mother told him never to be alone. Every night he prayed… prayed that this was all just some terrible dream that he could wake up from. His eyes had developed dark circles under them because he always cried himself to sleep, you see, he had an extremely close relationship with his mother. She had always been there for him and always protected him. Finally, his dad arrived home again. 

"Gene," his father called as he walked through the door. Gene lifted his head and listened, not quite sure if what he heard was his imagination or not. "You there Gene?" his father called again. Gene bolted out of bed and to his father, nearly knocking him over. For the first time in a week, he finally smiled. "Sorry I was so long little buddy, but I'm back now and that's all that matters, right?"

Gene pushed himself away from him. 'It's been a week,' he thought to himself, 'how can he not know what has happened, there's no way, I thought everybody knew.' 

"Whats wrong, champ?" his dad asked as he looked into Gene's, once again, watery eyes. "You look sad…. Come on, you can tell you old man."

"You mean….. you don't know," Gene asked in disbelief. "You don't know how….. how mommy isn't…. she's… dead."

His father was still and silent, he looked like he had seen a ghost. Quickly, he turned around so Gene wouldn't see how upset he was. Gene saw him pick up a picture of his mother and stare at it for a while, then returned it to it's spot, this time, face down. "I'm sorry, Gene, sorry I wasn't here for you." With that he went in his room, not another word said.

Gene sat down, there was total silence until he heard a loud knock on the door. When he opened the door, he saw a strange man. He was wearing a brown trench coat and had on a hat and sunglasses, hiding his face. "Is Mr. Starwind home?" he asked in a raspy voice.

"Yeah, daddy's here, but he's in his room right now."

"Well, can you get him, and tell him its very important. Tell him I have to discuss some very important business with him."

"Uhhh…… okay," Gene said as he turned around to start heading to his dad's room. To his surprise, his father was already behind him. 

"Gene, go to you room," his father ordered him fiercely. Gene obeyed with a bit of hesitation first. 

"Mr. Starwind, I believe you have something that I want."

"I don't have a clue what you mean."

"Oh, I believe you know exactly what I mean." The stranger reached in his trench coat and revealed a gun. "Now, I really hope that you would help me out, I don't want this to get ugly."

Gene was watching from his bedroom window above, though he couldn't hear what they were saying. He watched as the stranger pulled out his gun, his eyes bulged out as he feared for his father's life. All of a sudden, he noticed his father had pulled out a gun of his own. A few rounds were shot and the stranger plopped to the ground, blood spilled everywhere. His father looked strait up to Gene, as if he knew he had been watching the whole time. Quickly, Gene pushed himself away from the window, trying not to be seen, afraid of what his father might say if he knew he saw them. 

His father watched as Gene moved from his window and made sure he wasn't watching him anymore. Once he noticed the coast was clear, he fell to his knees and grabbed his shoulder. He felt the warm blood spreading from his shoulder to his hand as he winced at the pain. How could he have gotten himself into this mess? He knew he only had one choice left, he had to go back to space. But what would happen to Gene? He couldn't just leave him alone in the condition he was in. Ever since his mother died, he's been a mess, he's been letting his thoughts wander and blaming himself for her death. He had no choice but to bring his son with him. Out of all the possibilities that he could do that ran through his head, this seemed to be the right choice. He took a deep breath and headed back in his house. The only problem was, how would he explain this complex situation to Gene? After all, he was just a kid.

*********

Jim paced impatiently waiting for any news from Melfina. Finally he yelled out loud, "What the heck's taking so long!?" 

"Calm down, Jim," Suzuka said calmly as she drank some green tea. "You've got to be patient, its not like there is anything we can do to help him."

"Yeah, I know, but I just feel so horrible for what happened. I know I could have stopped this all and he would be all right if I had just—"

"Stop blaming yourself!" Aisha interjected. "Suzu's right, there's nothing you could have done. Its not like he was a Ctarl-Ctarl or anything so this was inevitable."

"For once I have to agree with Aisha, though I've asked before that you not call me Suzu, but she's right about it being inevitable."

"I guess you guys are right, but I still feel a little guilty. I mean, he was my best friend and all..." 

"We understand how you feel Gene, it is always hard to deal with a loved one being hurt, but there is no use in blaming yourself, everything happens for a reason so lets accept it. Why don't you have some green tea? It'll help calm your nerves," Suzuka said as she took another sip of her tea.

"Thanks."

"Listen kiddo," Aisha said, "He may not be a Ctarl-Ctarl, but Gene Starwind's pretty tough. He can handle most anything."

"Yeah Aisha, your right. Thanks you guys."

********

Gene and his father were in the park, his father had to get out of the house and get some fresh air. His wound was killing him, but he still hadn't gone to the hospital. He was too stubborn to admit that he needed help, plus, he didn't want to worry Gene. He watched as Gene played in the park with a few of his friends, one of which was named Fred, the one that was chasing him around the playground.

"Gene," he yelled, calling him over to talk to him. "Gene, we need to talk. Its about that man that was here the other day, well, I'm in a heap of trouble and I'm gunna have to go back to space." Gene lowered his head a little. "But I don't want to leave here alone. So its up to you, I'd like you to come with me to space but if you don't want to, I understand. What do you say, Gene, do you want to come to space with me?"

Energetically Gene nodded his head. Of course he'd like to go, who wouldn't? Its something everybody dreamed about, floating around in space, not a care in the world, or so he thought. He looked up in the sky and let himself fall on the grass. He closed his eyes and tried to imagine what it would be like. He began to laugh, giddy with excitement.

-------

Finally the day had arrived, Gene was strapped in one of the seats in his dad's ship and ready to go, the butterflies in his stomach were fluttering around frantically. As he lifted of, he could hardly believe it, he kept pinching himself to make sure it wasn't all just a dream. As he watched the world get smaller and smaller, he heard his dad talking to somebody. When he turned his head to see who it was on the vidcom, he realized it was the same man from the first day that his dad got into this mess. Once again he was silent so he could listen to his conversation…

"Jim, its the pirates… their after me. I knew I shouldn't have gotten into this mess. No amount of money is worth death. Speaking of which, while we were out looking for the Leyline, my wife died." Gene's father said, his voice quivering a little.

"Hey, I'm sorry, but ya know, I have a family too. My wife is due to have her baby any day now. Hehe, she said she's thinking about naming it after me. I can't help but thinking about it, little Jim Hawking."

"Then why did you even get into this mess?"

"Same reason as you, for the money. Didn't know what I was getting myself into, did I? Plus, a good outlaw would never miss an opportunity like this, right?"

"Yeah, I guess you right. And uhh……. By the way, speaking of the family issue, I…… well, I kind of brought Gene with me, but don't worry, he won't be any trouble. I'm going to teach him all that I know….

Oooooooooooooooooo! What do I sense here?? A little bit of romance?? Melfina's starting to feel all warm and fuzzy inside? Hmm….. wonder what that means? Ooo AND a lil bit of the origin of Jim, I'm gunna work into that more too. There was even a bit of Fred in it, lol. ^_^;; pleeeeeeeeeeez R&R ok, ok, I'm sorry if that was totally stupid, just don't be too harsh on me please, thank you.


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